The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-06-25

from the mouth OF labor the bread II might .
earn. Interest proved stronger than integ.
rlty The industries opposed were placsted
by offers Of q" fstter take " In the scheme
OF general plumber, and the aggregate OF
private jobs, either Of which, standing
alone, would be condemned by every other,
was at last bundled into one, and dubbed ,
The American Protective System"
The protective tariff of 1924 destroyed
this export trade. In 1S46 the country
abandoned the theory Of protection and
returned at once to tariff tor revenue.
Soon, thereafter, We began to manufacture
for expectation. That low tariff, for reve-
nue., even, was mill stone about the neck
of the industries, Yet, In spite OF. It, In
1860, our manufactured goods were per
cent, of our entire expectations, whereas,
In 1880, after twenty years Of intense pro-
lection, these manufactured exports were
but per cent. Of our total expectations.
The history of the country shows, as We
shall see, that under those tariffs for reve-
nue. (knoWn as free trade tariffs'), our
manufactures have had a more healthy and
rapid growth than under protective tariffs.
The wages of labor have already increased
faster under low tariffs, and labor has been
more constantly employed than under our
protective tariffs.
The effect of protection upon the wages
; of labor is fairly illustrated in the appeal
, of the weavers of Fall River for assistance
10 their strike two years ago against a re-
duction of II per cent. In their wages.
, They declared that If they yielded to that
t cut Of II per cent, then they would receive
t Al per cent less than they did In 1878.
, They said 1t cut the wages of boys and
5 girls who receive from 25c to Coo Per day,
I and left Intact the salaries of officers who
| received from s. to $25 per day. They
{ gave the names of a score or more Of mills
t in Fall River that had, while increasing
their capital, divided an annual profit of
over 10 per cent. for the Chem past four
r years. These corporations had, In four
r years, cut the wages OF labor Al per cent,
a while enjoying a protection of 40 per cent,
, and shedding crocodile tears in Washing
ton in fear that reduction, or disturbance,
a even, of the tariff, would reduce the wages
and degrade their laborers to the condition
{ of "paupers, like those of Europe" How
a much longer will the laborer be beguiled
by such shallow make-pletenses One of
t the largest mills of New England has for
S years imported its employees under labor
+ contract of 40c per Gay for the first five
/. years, and not to exceed Coo when they be-
come "expert," and the proprietors of these
mills are amongst the loudest in thelr de
s mands for protection to American labor
These men keep paid lobby in Washing
$ ton to secure protection, under which they
. claim that the country will get cheaper
4 goods and the laborer higher wages. That
4 is, they keep paid lobby to engineer leg
@ islation that will force the price of their
I. good down and the wages of their labor
b ers up( y, while, at the mills, they resort to
!. every device to reverse the operation-to
r force labor down and goods up. Labor is
a forced, from time to time, to strike and
}. lock out to prevent l.. Who ever heard of
J, labor striking to prevent its employer do
q ing as he pretends tariff will enable him
n to do-to prevent him from raising wages
or cheapening his goods?
The labor cost in wooden manufactures
,or ooot Of bo coct ~ tho
9 This, as has been shown, is less than the
labor cost of European or 'pauper.made"
J. woolens. Mr.. Trimble says that tariff 10
!. compensate the difference In labor cost Is
u sufficient. If he Is correct why Is 1t that
IS last year there was imported over forty mil
:, i lions of woolens, paying a duty double the
a entire labor cost of both the foreign and do
l. nestle article If we had no tariff, our
o raw material, being native here, would be
70 cheaper than In England. Our labor, when
d measured by its production, Is much
t. cheaper than European labor, especially IN
e the woolens industry. Our manufactured
4 product would be cheaper than theirs.
d How, then, could our markets be invaded
K Cheaper domestic goods would be absolute
u protection. How was it possible then that
"a last year our markets were invaded by
n SAC, 536, 500 worth of manufactured wool
lie ems, paying duty OF $27,27S,527? Tell
o, us, fairly, Mr.. Trimble, was 1t not the tariff
az alone that enabled the foreigner to thus
ly invade our markets, pay $4,000, 900 duties,
n and reimburse himself out of our own peo-
X ple9 And If duty equal to the difference
q in the labor cost of production is all that is
he necessary to protect our markets against
ly invasion, how is it possible that they are
e. invaded under duty double the entire Ia
I'd Dor cost of both the European and American
is production? don't ask that Mr.. Trimble
is answer this question to my satisfaction.
a. If he will do so to his own, 1t will be en-
tirely satisfactory to me. BYsTAND1R
~ The republicans object to the suggestion